


What a Catch

by Bugggghead



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: College AU, F/M, It WAS supposed to be a one shot, Romantic Soulmates, Short Story, Sorry Not Sorry, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, They're all seniors in college, and then it exploded, archie's kinda .... well archie, betty and veronica are roommates, betty is a journlist, but at least he's sweet, he texts with numbers, jug and archie are roommates, soul marks, veronica's a great friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-19 14:31:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14875551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bugggghead/pseuds/Bugggghead
Summary: Veronica pushes Betty to put herself out there, so when a cute stranger spills coffee on her, she agrees to a date. Little did she know, that fateful decision would change the course of her life.(Soulmate AU )





	1. Watch Out!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks @jandjsalmon for the original inspiration for this fic in a random afternoon conversation about prompts. @noorakardemmomesaetre, your support and encouragement means so much more than you know for this fic and every other one I write. Thank you @a92vm for indulging me and letting me bounce ideas off of you. Your input is invaluable and I appreciate you humoring me time and time again. Last but (certainly) not least, thanks to my collab partner in crime, Peyton for looking over this as my beta and providing endless encouragement.
> 
>  
> 
> Here’s a short soulmate AU that just wouldn’t leave me alone, so I had to get it out. Hope you enjoy!

*  
  
  
  


 

* * *

 

Elizabeth Cooper - Editor in Chief - Washington Square News 

 

 

**_Soulmates are a Dwindling Breed_ **

 

_ Everyone seems to be in search of their perfect mate these days despite the idea that soulmates are quickly becoming a thing of the past. It has always been said that the first time your soulmate touches you, a dark mark will appear on your skin. Well, I’m here to tell you that I’m 22 years old and I’ve never had a mark appear on my skin. Nor have I been privy to more than a handful of soulmate pairings in my young life, some good, some bad. _

 

_ Statistically, soulmate pairings have been on the decline for the last 60 years. More and more marriages are uniting unmarked pairings and lasting longer than some marked partnerships. Does that tip the scales for or against soulmates? _

 

_ So I ask you, students of NYU, have you found your soulmate? Do you even believe in them anymore? Have you ever known a soulmate pairing that didn’t work out?  _

 

_ Send me your answers! I am working on an editorial piece for the final issue of the year and I would love some input from our student body.  _

 

_ Please send your information to my email  _ [ _ e.cooper@nyunews.com _ ](mailto:e.cooper@nyunews.com) _. _

 

_ Thank you! _

* * *

  
  


Betty logged out of the Washington Square News’ Facebook page and shut her laptop, leaning back in her desk chair and closing her eyes. Soulmates were definitely not her topic of choice for the final editorial piece but despite her position as editor-in-chief and her own personal bias, popular demand dictated otherwise. It was something new their staff sponsor decided on, a poll on their facebook page allowing students to vote for the final piece of her portfolio. It didn’t seem fair, that she lost the final bit of creative control she had on her last article, but Betty had been on the paper long enough to know she had already amassed an impressive portfolio and a fluff piece at the very end wouldn’t drastically change that. She figured all journalists needed variety anyway.

 

She gathered her things, tossing the laptop into her bag and clearing her desk. There were only a few weeks left of school and she already finished her capstone project. Other than a few exams, her schedule was clearer than it had ever been. It was a strange feeling, being on the cusp of reality outside of school while still walking the halls every day. 

 

Betty already had an unpaid internship lined up at the New York Post that was slated to start a month after she graduated. Until then, she felt as if she was in limbo, not fully done with her degree, despite most of the requirements being met with the exception of sheer time, and yet not fully out of school yet either. 

 

Her best friend and roommate, purely by happenstance their freshman year, was none other than heir to the Lodge family fortune, Veronica Lodge. She was the perfect compliment to Betty’s demure nature, all fire and sass. She was the chocolate to Betty’s vanilla, the sass to her sweet and the V to her B. They had been inseparable for years, as soon as freshman year ended, Veronica talked her father into letting them live in one of his many properties. It was an ostentatious two bedroom penthouse close to campus, complete with Lodge approved updates - stainless steel appliances, shiny new fixtures, and a security system that was arguably smarter than she was. They both had en suites attached to their sprawling bedrooms and Betty honestly felt like the luckiest girl alive.

 

She had never had a friend like Veronica and after the whirlwind college years they had shared together, Betty knew she never would again. Veronica was one of a kind and always pushed Betty to break out of her pastel shell, to live a little, and Betty truly appreciated that -  _ most  _ of the time. Veronica’s latest crusade involved Betty’s lack of a male companion, an ‘injustice’ - as she called it - that she felt the need to rectify. It  _ had  _ been two years since Betty broke things off with her high school boyfriend Reggie Mantle. 

 

At Riverdale High, they were the golden couple, but getting together so young and going to college an entire country apart - her in New York and him in LA - meant the spark that might have been there once upon a time was barely a memory. The entire last year of their relationship was filled with missed flights and rescheduled visits before Reggie finally said what they had both been thinking for far too long. It was amicable, they truly were better friends than companions and Betty had been alone ever since, too immersed in her own goals and objectives to make time for anyone else. 

 

Graduating top of her class in high school and maintaining a spotless GPA throughout her undergrad were both things Betty could mark off of the ‘to-do’ list she made for her life when she was just a child. Few objectives remained, one being to find her ‘soulmate’, the other to make a byline before 25. The second one was feasible but she laughed at her younger self for thinking the first was even important. In the modern age, women were empowered, soulmates didn’t mean destiny, and chivalry was dead. Betty knew that, so she considered her list to be as done as it needed to be and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing her years of hard work finally paid off.

 

When she got to their apartment and finally dropped her bag, she checked her phone and was surprised to find a few emails already waiting for her. There were no other notifications so she stuffed it back in her pocket and wandered into the kitchen, making dinner while she waited on Veronica to return from class.

 

It was nearly eight by the time Veronica stumbled in the door. Her phone was glued to her ear and a broad smile graced her face. 

 

“No way, Cher,” Veronica squealed. “Yeah. No I know who you’re talking about,” Veronica paused. “I’m so happy for you!”

 

The next five minutes were spent listening to her friends gush over the details of Cheryl apparently finding her soulmate. The words ‘mark’ and ‘destiny’ were tossed around a Betty tried her best to ignore it. She may have been predictable in many ways, but wanting the fairytale of finding her soulmate and living happily ever after was one of few ways she deviated from the masses. 

 

Veronica finally hung up the phone and came to sit on the couch next to Betty. 

 

“Cher found her soulmate today,” Veronica smiled. She had always been a staunch believer in love and it was just one more way she was the yin to Betty’s yang.

 

“I’m so happy for her, V. I’ll text her later,” Betty said sincerely.

 

“It was Toni, by the way, in case you were wondering,” Veronica added. Her friend was well aware of her less than favorable views on soulmates. “Now that I have one friend down, it’s time to find yours, B.”

 

“No, it’s really not,” Betty laughed as she shook her head. “What about your soulmate, V?”

 

“Oh trust me, B. I’ve been touching arms and squeezing shoulders for years. My pursuit is ongoing. I’m making a valiant effort, if I do say so myself,” Veronica grinned.

 

“I know that’s true.” They both laughed, sharing a small smile.

 

“So, back to yours. Where should we start?” Veronica refocused.

 

“V, really. I’m fine. Soulmates are an old wives tale as far as I’m concerned and I need to focus on getting ready for my internship, anyway. I don’t have time right now.”

 

“Betty, you don’t even start for like six weeks! Take some time off from thinking about your 401k and career path and just put yourself out there.” Veronica’s featured softened as she reached out and laid her palm on Betty’s arm, squeezing gently in the reflexive way she had developed over the years. “I know it’s scary, B. But you’re gorgeous and brilliant and anyone on this entire planet would be the luckiest guy in the world to mark with you.”

 

“Veronica, I know you mean well but I’m not interested in finding my soulmate. At least not right now.”

 

“Fine. But promise me something. Even if you won’t join me in the quest for a soulmate, at least go out with someone. Get a coffee or let them buy you dinner,” Veronica said softly. “You’re my best friend and I just want you to be happy. Humor me...  _ please _ ?”

 

Betty tilted her head, appraising her friend’s genuinely concerned expression and finally acquiesced, “I promise. I’ll go on at least one date before the end of the semester.” 

 

“I know you won’t regret it!” Veronica squealed excitedly, wrapping her friend up in a hug.

  
  


-

  
  


A few days later, Betty was at the coffee shop just off of campus, waiting for her  tall, nonfat iced latte with caramel drizzle and looking for a bit of relief from the encroaching summer heat by way of the iced cold beverage.

 

The barista called her name and she reached to take the drink, stretching over the counter when someone bumped into her. Her fist clenched around the plastic cup, causing it’s contents to erupt as she slid backwards, waiting for the hard fall she was sure was coming but never did. Coffee coated her shirt and hair, drenching her and effectively cooling her down - in a way that was far less ideal than her initial plan - when she felt someone grip her elbow, steadying her. 

 

Betty shook her head unceremoniously, guessing she looked like a wet dog from head to toe and hoping to clear some of the sugary substance from her eyes. She wiped away the residue and finally looked at who the disembodied hand belonged to. 

 

It was an objectively handsome guy with fiery red hair. He had an easy charm to him evident in his megawatt smile. She guessed he probably played football in high school based solely on the unmistakable all-american boy vibe he radiated from head to toe.

 

“Are you okay?” he chuckled, releasing her elbow.

 

“Uh, yeah. I’m fine,” she stuttered, still a bit off kilter from the unexpected coffee bath.

 

“I’m so sorry. I just bumped into you causing that whole chain of events.” He said sheepishly, signaling at the aftermath on both the floor and her outfit. “I’m Archie and I think you should let me make it up to you.”

 

“Uhm,” Betty started, clearly stunned by his not so nonchalant advances. “What did you have in mind,” she said politely through a tight-lipped smile. Manners were an ingrained behavior in the Cooper household, persistently pushed from a young age until it became a reflex.

 

“Well, first off. I need to replace your drink,” he said smoothly, grabbing the cup that was already made on the counter. Apparently the barista witnessed the whole thing and mercifully made another, saving her the five extra dollars to get it again, because she  _ would  _ have, she needed coffee to get through the mountain of emails that were compounding by the hour.

 

“And then?” she asked, playing along for Veronica’s sake more than her own.

 

“And then maybe we could have some food along with that drink?” he smiled.

 

Betty heard someone laugh and peered around to see where it came from. The laugh belonged to a taller boy who appeared to be around the same age as both her and the redhead. Unlike her potential date though, he didn’t seem to be the ‘All-American’ type. His dark jeans and equally dark T-shirt showed little of his figure, other than the obvious fact that he was lean, maybe even a little toned if the way the material clung to his biceps meant anything at all. Dark black curls peeked out from under the strangest beanie Betty had ever seen, clearly wool and well-worn, but instead of a smooth rim, soft points adorned the outside.

 

“Archie leave the poor girl alone,” the dark haired stranger laughed, looking right at Betty. “You don’t actually have to go out with him,” 

 

She couldn’t help but laugh back at him, ducking her head as she did, trying to hide the gentle pink stain creeping onto her cheeks. 

 

“I know that,” she said quickly, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth before looking back up at them. She was still soaked with coffee, surely looking like an utter mess, yet someone was asking her out. “You know what, sure. Why not?” she said with a smile.

 

Archie entered his number into her phone, shooting himself a text message in the process and left with the promise of ‘see you soon’ as his friend laughed off the entire exchange. They were an odd pairing, that was for sure, but they acted more like brothers than friends and she figured anyone who had friendships that solid, must not be an absolutely  _ terrible person _ , so what was the harm? Plus, it would appease Veronica and distract her for awhile in the process. 

 

Betty figured, no matter how the date actually went, it would at least be a learning experience. 

 

-

 

“Excuse moi, Betty dearest, but am I to believe that you are going to  _ his _ apartment to pick  _ him  _ up?” Veronica scoffed.

 

“Yes, V. It’s not a big deal. The diner we’re going to is close to where he lives so I’m just going to walk there and then we’ll go together.”

 

“Betty, this hardly counts as a date.”

 

“It  _ is _ a date,” Betty insisted, tugging on the top Veronica convinced her to wear. “If it wasn’t a date, I for sure wouldn’t be wearing this.”

 

Betty looked herself up and down in the mirror, grateful the sun was already setting and planning to covertly toss a cardigan in her bag on the way out to cover her bare shoulders. Veronica had gone through her entire closet, rifling through the options and making Betty try the different combinations on for over an hour before they both agreed on her current outfit. 

 

They settled on a flowy white, lace trimmed tank top with open sides and a pair of short shorts. Neither piece of clothing would ever have belonged in Betty’s wardrobe, but she had to admit, the way the overly distressed denim shorts hugged her upper thighs, she liked the way she looked. She adjusted the top a few times, attempting, in vain, to cover her pale pink bra straps with the flimy lace before Veronica suggested she take it off all together. 

 

“Betty, this shirt doesn’t leave room for a bra,” Veronica insisted.

 

“It’s bad enough I’m walking out of this apartment with like ninety nine percent of my legs showing, I’m not going to give him full view of my chest, too.”

 

Veronica sprang up, making her way over to Betty’s dresser and retrieved her white strapless bra, shoving it in Betty’s hands and insisting she change.

 

Once the last piece of the wardrobe was in place, Betty looked at herself once more. The top showed plenty of skin on her sides, even with the bra covering a portion of it and had a sweetheart neckline. She turned to the side, making sure her ass wasn’t on full display in the flimy distressed denim and thought again how much she really liked the look. It wasn’t dark or skin tight like most of Veronica’s options but it was revealing enough to appease her friend while still being modest enough for Betty to venture outside of her apartment in it.

 

She selected a pair of white gladiator sandals and opted to leave her hair down in loose waves, wearing minimal makeup save for an extra coat of mascara and some pink lipgloss. She snuck the pink bra into her bag as they exited the room.

 

Once they were out in the living room, she checked her phone and found a message waiting from Archie.

 

**Archie** \- can’t w8 2 c u ;-) 

**Archie -** apt 410

 

Betty cringed internally at the childish messages. She had never, in her life, abbreviated words like that, the perfectionist inside of her literally incapable of sending such a message. 

 

“Is that your boy?” Veronica said in a sultry tone, wiggling her eyebrows for emphasis.

 

“First off, he is absolutely NOT my ‘boy’ as you call him. And second, yes. He ‘can’t wait to see me’ though his version involved numbers and emojis,” Betty laughed.

 

“Oh god, is he twelve, Betty? Numbers in his words? Really? Maybe I should have set a minimum IQ for your potential suitor,” Veronica deadpanned.

 

“Oh, hush, V. I’m sure he’s nice. I’ll see you later, okay?”

 

“If you’re not home by midnight, I’m calling in a missing persons report. The only people who talk like that anymore are either simpletons or serial killers. Let’s hope your boy is the first.”

 

“Again, he’s not my boy,” Betty giggled, “and i’ll be home long before that. You have my word.”

 

Veronica gave her a hug before shooing her out the door. As Betty walked to the elevator, she realized Archie’s juvenile messages distracted her from sneaking out with a cardigan. She looked down once more, thumbing the material of the flowy top and decided she had already left. If she went back inside now, Veronica would notice her grabbing something to put over her and would confiscate it all together, if not go through her entire bag and pull out the pink bra Betty had already stashed just in case the strapless one didn’t work out. Ultimately, it wasn’t worth the risk.

 

Betty walked leisurely to Archie’s apartment. It was just off campus, more than a few blocks from her own but still a reasonable walking distance. As she ascended the stairs to their fourth floor walk up, she pulled out her phone, catching sight of another waiting message from Archie.

 

**Archie** \- running l8 roomm8 will let u n c u soon :-*

 

Betty stared at the screen, pulling it closer to her face to make sure she was seeing it right. She was. He had sent her a kissing emoji and if she hadn’t already reached the fourth floor, she might have considered leaving all together. 

 

Apartment 410 was the first on the left, she pulled her shorts down as much as she could without pulling them straight off her hips and adjusted her top again before knocking on the door.

 

The locks clicked behind the door before it was pulled open by none other than the dark haired friend from the coffee shop. Her eyes didn’t know where to look as her brain registered that yes, he was toned under that shirt before. He wore a simple white tank top with red flannel pajama pants that appeared to hang just a bit lower than intended, the dark waistband of his underwear peeking above the material that she briefly thought was probably very, very soft.

 

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat, breaking the silence as Betty realized she had been staring. “Are you going to come in? Your ginger prince is showering but he said you might get here before he finished.”

 

Betty giggled. A ginger he sure was, but a prince Archie certainly was not. 

 

“Yes. I am. Thank you,” she said quickly, slipping between him and the door.

 

He offered her a glass of water which she readily accepted, hoping to drink it instead of talk and keep her mouth busy before something she didn’t mean to say flew out of it.

 

“What’s your name?” he asked, wandering into the kitchen as she followed behind, unsure of where exactly she was supposed to be.

 

“Betty,” she said with a smile. “Betty Cooper. And you arrrreee?” she drawled, tilting her head in question.

 

“Jughead. Jughead Jones. Nice to meet you Betty Cooper. Make sure to tell Archie your name, by the way. He was trying to stalk you on social media but without a name, cute blonde from the coffee shop didn’t yield any results.”

 

Betty’s grin turned into a lopsided smile at the idea of Archie, who texted with numbers, unable to find her prominent social media presence. 

 

“Wait,” she paused, shaking her head and looking back at him. His eyes fixated on her, awaiting her response as she stared. They were a strange mixture of green on the inside and a deep blue on the outside, almost as if the color depended on the lighting. “Uh-” she said, again realizing she had been staring and breaking the hypnotic eye contact. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” 

 

She knew she looked flustered and hoped that Archie would save her from herself any minute. Being anywhere other than the cramped kitchen with the awkward smalltalk was preferable at that moment.

 

“I didn’t say anything. I told you he wanted to find you on social media and couldn’t. You’re the one who told me to wait and then went all doe-eyed on me.”

 

Betty felt heat rise to her cheeks, now remembering the exact scenario. “Right, I was going to say Jughead isn't a  common name. Is it a family name or something?”

 

“You could say that.” His lips twitched up into a hint of a smile.

 

Before she could respond, they heard the door shut down the hallway followed by Archie apparently shuffling to his bedroom.

 

“Sounds like he’s almost done,” Jughead observed.

 

“Yeah. Um, I’ll just go sit on couch,” she said awkwardly, shuffling backward toward the living room to put some distance between herself and the raven-haired boy who was affecting her far more than she’d like to admit.

 

“Watch out!” She heard, much too late as her foot caught his laptop cable and pulled her backward. The cup of water tumbled from her hands, coating the front of her thin white shirt in ice cold liquid and once again, for the second time in a very short period of time, she braced for the impact of the hard floor that never came. 

 

Instead she was surprised to feel his hands splayed across her ribcage as her own hands flew up to grip his shoulders. They stood there for a minute, suspended in mid air with wide eyes, neither moving and the tension thickening by the second. He was holding her in almost a dip, as if they were dancing instead of awkwardly clinging to each other in his kitchen.

 

“Get your hands off my date, bro.” They both heard Archie at the exact same time, snapping them out of their mutual reverie.

 

Betty straightened herself up and looked down at her top. Her suspicions had been correct and it was nearly see through. She silently thanked her earlier self for insisting on a bra because if she hadn’t had one on, they both would have gotten a show she wasn’t actually willing to give.

 

“Let me go grab you a jacket,” Archie offered, sauntering over to the coat rack by the door and plucking a hoodie from a hook.

 

“By the way, I wasn’t feeling her up, Arch. She’s just clumsy,” he teased, winking at Betty.

 

“Well, there’s a reason my mother didn’t name me Grace,” she jested, rolling her eyes at him.

 

“Yeah ‘not Grace’, what is your name by the way,” Archie asked, handing her the hoodie.

 

“Betty. Betty Cooper. Do you mind if I use your bathroom?” she asked.

 

“Not at all. It’s the first door on the right.” Archie pointed down the hall as Betty scurried away. 

 

Not getting the cardigan was a good call because she wound up needing the extra bra after all. She stripped off her layers quickly, throwing on the pale pink bra and tugging the hoodie over her head before looking in the mirror. The water hadn’t affected her hair at least and her face was still dry. She fluffed up the waves and tugged down the hem of the hoodie, nearly covering her shorts before venturing back out into the apartment.

 

They arrived at the diner about ten minutes later. Archie had been talking during the entire walk about his interest in music. The story was sweet, an athlete who could have gone pro after only two years in university before switching his major to music and pursuing it professionally. He talked about how hard of a decision that was and Betty silently nodded. Other than her name and if she was ready to go, Archie didn’t ask her a single question for the rest of the night.

 

The dinner was filled with more conversation about his hometown and stories of the good old days in high school. It wasn’t that he was running the conversation, per se, it was simply that Betty wasn’t adding much to it either. 

 

She smiled and nodded when he talked, feigning interest in the dreadfully boring pastimes. Before their entrèes ever arrived, she decided they were definitely not meant to be. He seemed nice enough, kind and sweet. He did hold the door open for her and offer to pay, but jock really wasn’t her ‘type’ anymore and by the end of the night, when he was walking her back to her apartment, she had already likened him to a labrador. Pretty to look at, sweet and loyal, but a far cry from what she wanted. Truthfully, he simply reminded her too much of Reggie and after the subpar relationship that turned out to be, she wanted nothing more to do with anyone remotely like him.

 

“Thanks,” she said with a smile as they approached her apartment door.

 

“You’re welcome, Betty. I had a nice time tonight,” he started, leaning against the door frame as she rifled through her purse in search of her keys. “Do you want to do this again sometime?:”

 

He sounded hopeful and Betty hated letting people down, she turned the key in the lock but left it closed before answering. 

 

“Honestly, Archie, you seem really nice and tonight was fun, but I just don’t see this going anywhere. I’m sorry.” She braced for impact, for him to get angry at a potentially bruised ego but he surprised her with a smile, a laugh, and a shake of his head.

 

“Thank god. No offense, you’re gorgeous but I just didn’t really feel it either. Maybe we can still be friends,” he offered.

 

“Yeah, Arch. That would be nice.”

 

They said their goodbyes, laughing and sharing an oddly formal handshake before he turned toward the elevator, waving back at her as she ducked into the apartment. 

 

She leaned against the door and sighed deeply. At least she could say she did it. She went on a date. She put herself out there. It just wasn’t meant to be. It almost felt like a relief until she heard the distinct sound of Veronica calling her name.

 

“Betty? Are you back already? It’s barely even ten? Did Prince Charming turn into a total frog? Do I have to kick his ass? Wait-” Veronica paused as she came out of the hallway- “Oh my god. You little minx! You’re wearing his jacket. Did it go  _ that  _ well  _ that  _ fast?”

 

“Oh shit!” Betty exclaimed, looking down and realizing she did indeed still have his jacket on. “Uh, V, can I ask you a favor?”

 

“Anything, Betty dearest. You name it.”

 

Betty pulled the hoodie over her head quickly and gave it to Veronica, flashing her a brilliant smile. “Could you run after Archie and give this back for me please? The date was awful and we shared some strange handshake before he left. I’d prefer not to see him again tonight. It was awkward enough already.”

 

Veronica narrowed her eyes, her gaze landing on the pink bra that shouldn’t have made it out of the apartment earlier and Betty realized it was on full display. “We will talk about you sneaking a bra out of here later but right now, which direction would he be heading? I fully understand avoiding a bad date and I’d never make my girl deal with that if I could help it.”

 

Betty gave her the address to Archie’s apartment and sent her off to chase him down. Even if he was an athlete, unless he was sprinting, he couldn’t have made it very far yet.

 

Veronica came back a short while later, an air of joy radiating from her as she walked through the door and Betty thought back to all of Veronica’s ex’s. Archie was arguably her type, attractive enough and kind, which was already a step up from her previous experience. She laughed lightly to herself at the revelation that it probably should have been Veronica out with Archie tonight instead of herself.

 

Later that night, just before bed, Betty stepped out of the large glass-framed shower and caught sight of a few small darks mark just above her ribs. She must have fallen so hard that Jughead’s hand bruised her, she thought in passing. Thankfully it was in a place that was covered ninety nine percent of the time anyway and no one would see before it healed over and turned pale once more.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


*


	2. Cautiously Optimistic

*

  
  
  


The weekend passed in a haze, Betty buried in her laptop, combing through emails from various students. Apparently, they all had very strong opinions on soulmates. 

 

_ Soulmates are a crock of shit. My parents were soulmates and they still got divorced. Sometimes love isn’t enough, all we can do in this life is hope to find someone we get along with enough to put up with our shit when we get older and share our time. _

_ -VJ _

 

_ Soulmates are a joke. _

_ -KL _

 

_ My parents are soulmates and they’ve been together thirty years. The idea of a soulmate is romantic. I hope one day to find mine. _

_ -JK _

 

_ I found my soulmate in second grade and he’s my everything. _

_ -CE _

 

_ With over 7 billion people on the planet, one singular soulmate seems like a sick joke. _

_ -JL _

 

_ I’ve always wanted a soulmate. _

_ -AA _

 

Betty sorted the responses into ‘yes’ and ‘no’ folders, surprised to find far more yeses than she would have ever expected. It was a nearly a two to one ratio of students who did believe in soulmates to those that didn’t. Some responses were crass while others were well thought out and long-winded, giving insight into why they did or didn’t believe. One, in particular, caught her eye 

 

_ I want to believe in soulmates. I really do and it’s possible that I just might. The idea of a soulmate is a romantic notion that someone will love you no matter your flaws, no matter your past, no matter your future, and that - that resonates with me on a molecular level. Everyone wants unconditional love but very few find it in their lifetime. The ugly truth is that divorce rates are up and marriage statistics are down but I can’t help but yearn to one day find my own soulmate, the other half of me, someone who compliments me in such a way that I strive to be a better person because of her. I never read fairy tales as a kid but I did hear stories of soulmates from other children at school. Despite the harsh reality that soulmate pairings are rare in these times, I truly hope that those who do find theirs, never let go. You can ignore my rambling or include it in the editorial. If you do, I’d like to be anonymous.  _

_ -FPJIII _

 

Betty read it a few times over before closing it and placing it in a folder. By midnight Sunday, she had the nearly 300 replies mostly sorted before she went to bed.

 

Veronica had been gone all weekend, tied up at an extended spa retreat with her mother and Betty was almost glad her friend hadn’t been in the apartment. Peace and quiet for an entire weekend was a luxury Betty was unfamiliar with. 

 

As each day passed after the disaster of a date on Friday, Betty carefully studied the bruises on her ribs. They hadn’t faded much, if at all, but Betty could have sworn they were just a shade lighter than they had been a few days before. She decided to keep an eye on them over the next few days, not yet letting herself believe the impossible scenario that was forming in her mind.

 

Before she knew it, Monday was almost over and Betty was once again buried in her laptop, drafting her editorial. The amount of emails she received in response to her post had been unheard of and statistically, her stance  _ should _ be positive if she were reflecting the voice of the general population, but Betty had always been cautious about getting her hopes up.

 

Between the emails she was reading and rereading on a daily basis and the continued observance of her own potential marks, Betty found her stance wavering in regards to what a soulmate meant. With very little positive personal experience, she tried her hardest to ignore the way hope kept creeping into her thoughts. Hope that maybe just maybe her own marks meant more than she was simply clumsy.

 

Frustrated with the lack of a clear direction for her article, she decided to call Veronica for some good old girl talk. Veronica was quick to answer, her vehement position  _ for _ soulmate pairings all too apparent. They talked for a short while, eventually delving into the miracle that was a mud bath and how all the tension had seeped through Veronica’s pores during a massage earlier that day. Veronica had seemed unusually chipper, very opinionated on the matter and all around positive about soulmates. It was no secret she believed in them but her demeanor was a step above average. Betty tried not to read too much into, at least not that day and after they hung up the phone, Betty was left replaying her best friend’s words on the issue.

 

_ “Betty, if we can’t believe that one person in the entire world was made just for us, to love unconditionally and for them to love us in return, then what’s the point?”  _

 

Betty pressed Control + A and deleted every word she had written before starting again. She weaved in bits of her conversation with Veronica, her email responses and her own lukewarm opinion on the matter and by the time the sun had set, she felt like her final piece, albeit it’s currently unfinished state, was something she could be proud of. 

 

Even though it wasn’t quite done, she felt like she had hit a block. The ending needed to be powerful and her words seemed to run dry. She clicked her laptop shut and brought her hands up over her head, sighing deeply as she stretched.

 

She caught her reflection in the full-length mirror on her door and pulled down her camisole just a bit to see the small dark circles still adorning her skin. Betty squinted at the mirror and got up to take a closer look, pulling her camisole up and stretching to get a clearer look at her ribs. It had been four days since Jughead caught her in Archie’s living room and from what she knew about bruises, these should have started to fade by now but they were just as dark as when she first noticed them.

 

“No way,” she breathed. “It can’t be.”

 

-

 

When Veronica arrived home the following day it was nearly noon, her friend was weighed down with far too much baggage for a four day trip and looked as if she was coming off a month on the road based on suitcase count alone.

 

She was surprised to find Veronica wearing a long sleeved coat, the spring weather already far too warm for such attire, but she didn’t question it, instead wrapping her best friend up in a fierce hug to welcome her home.

 

A few hours later, Betty was settled on the couch, flipping through Netflix in search of something to occupy her mind. The soulmate article had been filling all of her free time and she was trying hard not read too much into the bruises on her ribs. Part of her wanted to go see Jughead, to find out if he was marked too. But another part of her was scared, scared he might not be and the hope she had been slowly developing would be all for naught.  In all reality, she had no idea what she would even say if they didn't go away. “Hi, I’m your soulmate, you marked me when I tripped over your laptop cord” just didn’t seem to be right. She wasn’t even sure if he believed in soulmates and showing up on his doorstep claiming to be his might come off a bit crazier than Betty was willing to seem.

 

There was something about Jughead that Betty couldn’t seem to shake. Whether it was the way he felt pressed against her or his piercing gaze, maybe even the way he had held her, as if her skin was alight the second his fingers made contact. Her thoughts drifted in and out of the memory of that night, occasionally all the way back to their run-in at the coffee shop. He  _ was  _ handsome, there was no doubt about that, and he seemed sort of interested, though Betty thought her imagination may have made more of the exchange than her more logical brain should have. 

 

A documentary on soulmates popped up in her feed and she selected it without a second thought, immersing herself in the statistical history of soulmate pairings and the role they had played in some of history’s most popular couples.

 

Veronica came out a short while later, apparently rejuvenated from a mid-day nap.

 

“I’ll be back later,” her best friend called from the door.

 

“Where are you off to now?” Betty questioned.

 

“I’m going to get coffee,” Veronica said casually, slipping through the door before the conversation had gone any further. As her arm slipped out, Betty noticed a palm sized mark on her best friend’s arm. It was dark, much like her own and she had a sneaking suspicion she knew  _ exactly _ where her best friend was heading, and who she was going to see.

 

The chime of her phone brought Betty back to her own thoughts. It was an email from the paper’s sponsor stating that her position wasn’t very clear in the article. She knew she had danced around the point a bit, feeling unsure of the subject matter herself.

 

The soulmate documentary was still playing in the background, a familiar image appearing on the screen making her look up from her phone. When she focused back on it, she realized it was pictures of different soul marks throughout the years. 

 

_ “Soulmates are rare and if someone is marked, it's a monumental development. Soul marks are largely unmistakable, some forming as hand prints and others as smaller shapes. It is said the first time your soulmate touches you, your skin will darken in that exact location. Hands are immune to soul marks, though there had never been a scientific reasoning for the phenomenon. If one is marked by their soulmate, the patch of skin will remain dark for the rest of their days. Many couples throughout history displayed soul marks." _

 

Betty made her way over to her desk, pulling out her laptop and going through the suggested edits on her piece. Once again, she read it over and felt wholly dissatisfied with its contents. 

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent hacking her piece to bits, reconstructing it with a stronger opinion, one that even surprised Betty herself with its surety on her stance.

 

It was nearly five o’clock by the time she finished, satisfied with her progress and ruminating over her own current predicament. She made a snap decision and tossed on a pair of jeans and a bra. She eyed the small round circles once more, solidifying her decision even further as the darkened skin stared back at. 

 

Betty was pacing outside of Jughead’s apartment building, deciding if she was actually going to climb the four floors to his door and brave the possibility that he wasn’t marked. There was still a small chance that her dark circles were, in fact, bruises, but it was a slim chance. Determined to know the answer, she reassured herself as she entered the building. She slowly ascended the stairwell, taking her time on the carpeted steps as she drew closer to her destination.

 

Before she was ready, she stood in front of his door apprehensively. The numbers ‘410’ staring back at her. She raised her hand to knock, clenching it into a fist but it didn’t move. Dropping her hand, she took a deep breath and gave herself a pep talk.  _ You’ve got this Betty. What’s the worst that could happen? If he doesn’t have a mark, no big deal. Life goes on.  _ With a new resolve, she lifted her fist once more, knocking loudly three times and waiting anxiously for him to answer.

 

It was silent for a few moments before she heard the distinct sound of footsteps on the other side, growing louder as they got closer. She wrung her hands together, a nervous habit she had developed in high school to cope, and held her breath.

 

The door swung open, revealing Jughead in significantly more layers than the last time they had been in this position. He was wearing a t-shirt so his shoulder was covered as she cleared her throat and prepared to sound absolutely insane.

 

“Hi, Jughead,” she greeted brightly. “May I come in?”

 

“Sure?” he said, the word coming out more of a question than a statement.

 

She ducked inside and stood there awkwardly, taking a deep breath in preparation.

 

“What brings you by today, Betty? Archie’s out.”

 

“That’s okay. I’m pretty sure I know where he is,” she smiled. “I was actually here to talk to you. I hope that’s okay.” He nodded and she continued, “First, have you noticed any marks on Archie?”

 

Jughead nodded again. “If you mean on his forearm, yes. He talked about it all weekend and you should be thanking me for keeping him from barging right into your apartment. He seems to think you two marked on your less than stellar date.”

 

Betty laughed aloud, unable to contain the hilarity of the statement. “That’s not at all what happened. My roommate marked him.” Jughead shot her a confused expression. “I thought he might have a mark from her and now I’m pretty certain. Veronica had a mark too. I just saw it today but I put the pieces together myself. And as far as him being  _ my _ soulmate, you’re joking right?”

 

“I wasn’t sure. He just told me he wanted to go to your apartment and despite him being notoriously bad at secrets he didn’t really give much away so I just let it be. It kind of made some sick sort of sense to me. He was quarterback of the football team and you look like the girl next door. Even soulmates have bad first impressions sometimes. Plus, I have a knack for tuning things out that I don’t want to hear.”

 

“Why wouldn’t you want to hear that?” she asked cautiously. The words tumbling from her lips sounded breathier than she intended.

 

The way he was staring at her with his eyebrow quirked up curiously, almost expectantly, made her skin crawl. Did he have a mark too? His silence was unnerving and Betty decided it was time for her to say what she came there to say.

 

Diving right in, Betty took a deep breath and began her planned speech, “Anyways, I know I started with asking you about Archie, but that’s not why I’m really here.” 

 

“It’s not?” Jughead asked, his brows knitting together in confusion.

 

Betty shook her head. “I’ve been working on an editorial piece about soulmates and they’ve kind of been on my mind for a while. I don't know if you know but I asked the student population to send in their opinions and I was surprised to find out what people really thought. I keep thinking about soulmates every single waking minute and maybe I’ve just spun this up in my mind. I mean I don’t know. It’s crazy really, and I hope you don’t think I’m crazy-“

 

Jughead clasped a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently and ending her rambling. She shook her head and exhaled deeply. This was certainly not the way she had seen this exchange going.

 

“I did know you were writing the article, actually. I sent you in a submission,” he laughed. “And you are more wound up than the Energizer Bunny so I think it’s safe to say you’re not here to tell me about your editorial. Is that a fair assessment?”

 

Betty let out a frustrated sigh and looked up at him, her gaze meeting his eyes, they were much bluer than the last time she saw him and the icy tone had a strangely calming effect on her. 

 

“It is. You sent in a submission? I don’t remember seeing any from a Jughead, it would have stuck out even before I met you.”

 

“Jughead’s not my real name, though I’m not going to tell you what it is, I signed it FPJIII, my actual family name.”

 

“That was you?” she asked as her lip twitched upward, a hint of a smile playing at the corners. 

 

Jughead nodded in response and Betty felt relieved. So he  _ did  _ believe in soulmates. That answered that question.

 

“Let me start over,” Betty finally said. “This may sound completely insane and feel free to stop me if it does, but can I see your shoulder?”

 

A smug smirk tugged at his lips. “You marked me,” he said simply, as if it were a matter of fact and Betty nodded shyly.

 

“At least, I think I did.”

 

“No, you did. I was sure that you did but then Archie came home after your date and would not stop talking about you being his soulmate so I thought there had been some kind of mistake.” 

 

Betty laughed and gave him an incredulous look, “How could that sort of thing be a mistake?” 

 

Jughead shrugged and brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck. “If you knew how my life has gone, you’d understand,” he said simply, not offering her any more information. 

 

Before Betty could even say another word Jughead pulled off his shirt, leaving his chest entirely exposed and she fixated on the way his lean muscles looked coated under a layer of skin that looked impossibly soft. She could see the hint of his hip bones drawing down into a vaguely V shaped trail and he cleared his throat, drawing her attention. Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth as she drug her eyes upward until she saw a hand shaped bruise on his shoulder, broken only by the area his tank top covered. It looked as if someone took a giant eraser and swiped it through the handprint right in the middle.

 

Reflexively, her hand came up to the darkened skin, placing it over the mark and covering it fully. It was her hand, just as Cinderella had a slipper that molded to her foot, Jughead had a print the exact same size of Betty’s hand.

 

“I guess that means we’re soulmates?” he said, his voice lifting with the last word.

 

“Yeah,” she smiled, finally looking back into his eyes. “Yeah. I guess that means we are.”

 

Her voice was surely as soft as her expression in that moment. Her teeth worried her bottom lip as she stared into his eyes. She could have sworn he glanced at her lips for a brief second, causing her to bite just a bit harder as her breath caught in her throat. They were painfully close, only a hair's breadth away from each other when the sound of the lock clicked behind them.

 

Archie and Veronica came through the door, snapping them from their tender moment. They must not have seen Betty and Jughead because as soon as the door shut behind them, lost in their own apparent lust fueled haze, Archie pushed Veronica against the door and sealed his lips over hers.

 

Jughead laughed and shook his head, clearing his throat to get their attention. Betty had shifted just a bit closer to him, still acutely aware of his bare chest and trying her best not to gawk at the sight.

 

“Shit dude, sorry,” Archie laughed. 

 

Veronica stood still, quirking an eyebrow at Betty and looking between her best friend’s face and the obvious soulmark on Jughead’s shoulder.

 

“A new development I’m assuming?” Veronica questioned with a knowing smile.

 

Betty felt a blush rise to her cheeks. She sucked them in between her teeth, attempting to quell the growing smile she wasn’t able to hide.

 

“Maybe,” Betty said simply. “And I see you went out for more than just coffee?”

 

Veronica’s smile grew wider, shooting a glance at Archie as she tucked herself securely into Archie’s side. 

 

“Maybe,” she finally said. “This thing on my arm hadn’t gone away so I messaged dear Archiekins through Facebook to see if he wanted to get some coffee. He, naturally, didn’t take much convincing and when I saw the mark on his arm, he was all too eager to see mine. I think we both knew.”

 

They shared a tender smile, radiating their new found happiness. Betty was sure if she could see such thing as auras, in that moment, they would have shared one, alight with the same color of contentment and adoration.

 

Archie cleared his throat, tugging Veronica closer and whispering something in her ear. Veronica’s face told Betty that it was definitely something private, “We’re just going to give you guys some privacy. We’ll be in Archie’s room so try to keep the volume down.”

 

Archie winked at Jughead and Betty laughed, watching her friend and her new found soulmate stumble eagerly down the hall.

 

“Where were we?” Jughead asked softly, turning his body into hers as she did the same. They were now facing each other and Betty was aware, once again, of his shirtless state. Her eyes drug upward, taking in the toned planes and landing on his soulmark. 

 

Her fingers traced the edges of her handprint, filling in the blank gaps as she went. It felt electric, trailing her fingers from the mark on his shoulder all the way around his back as her arm looped around his neck. His hand slid around her waist in one fluid motion, smooth as silk as he drew her into him.

  
  


She was once again struck by his gaze. “Right here,” she murmured softly.

  
  


Jughead looked at her then, his eyes flitting over the features of her face as she inched her body closer, using her arm as leverage to press against him, graviting into his personal space as if they were magnetized. 

  
  


Their eyes were still locked and Betty felt her breath catch in her throat, all of the words she wanted to say in that instant failing to convey exactly what she felt. Instead, she leaned up slightly, drawn to him like a moth to a flame and pressed her lips to his. 

 

He returned her affections instantly, coming his fingers into the hairs at the base of her neck and angling his head to deepen the kiss. When his tongue swiped across her bottom lip she opened eagerly, lost in the feeling of their embrace and the way his arms perfectly held her delicate frame. He stumbled backward, pulling her with him as they headed for the couch. He gripped her ass, lifting her in the air as her legs wrapped around his body instinctively. Their tongues were tangling in a sinful way, pulling apart for mere seconds at a time to gulp in air before pressing their lips together again. It was hot and heady in a matter of seconds. He fell back on the couch, their intense make out gathering heat as they went. As soon as Betty’s knees hit the cushions, bracing either side of Jughead’s hips they both heard a loud moan. 

 

Archie and Veronica had warned them to be quiet but they weren’t the ones to worry about. The sounds of their friends’ apparent activities snapped them from their moment, both laughing and agreeing they should go somewhere else, at least for a few hours.

  
  


She told him about her looming deadline as they walked to her apartment and Jughead insisted she finish her article before anything. She pecked him then, on the cheek, afraid if she kissed him fully she might not want to pull away again. Later that night, Betty finished her article from the comfort of her apartment. 

 

A loud click echoed through the room as she pressed enter for the final time, rereading her last minute addition and smiling.

 

_ I began this journey not too long ago believing soulmates were an archaic tradition, one not bound to modern day reasoning but I’ve quite literally had a change of heart. I don’t know if a soulmark is the definitive answer to whether love is enough for a lasting relationship, but I do know that it certainly makes things just a bit clearer on this muddled subject, at least for me.  _

 

_ Love is not bound by statistics, nor is it something to be studied and picked apart. Many of the students’ answers pointed to one thing - hope. And I think, in this day and age, filled with information overload and a new depressing story gracing covers daily, hope is a rare commodity. I won’t say definitively that soulmates equate to true love, I feel that might be a bit too certain for my stance, but I will say, it’s at least a start; and if that means that we, as people, are even one step closer to our own happily ever after, what does it hurt to hope? _

  
  


As she sent off the email with her final draft, she turned to look at Jughead. He had the same soulmate documentary pulled up that she had watched earlier and was about halfway into it when she wandered over to him and snaked her arms around his shoulders. She leaned down to place a light kiss on his cheek. The gesture felt strangely familiar despite their limited time together. It was strange the way her affection nearly overcame her in that moment. Strange but far from unwelcome.

 

“This is some interesting stuff,” he whispered.

 

“It is,” she returned, pulling her arms back and walking around the couch. She settled into the cushions, pressing her side into his and smiled when his arm wrapped around her shoulders, tugging her closer.

 

Betty’s reached up and threaded her fingers through his hand on her shoulder as he placed a light kiss to her hairline.

 

Looking up, she noticed his gaze fixed on her as the sounds from the documentary faded into the background, replaced with the sound of her heart thumping hard in her chest. She sucked in a breath, remembering the way his lips felt pressed against hers only a short time before and leaned up once again, connecting them. It was short and sweet. A simple kiss that somehow felt like so much more. 

  
  
  


*

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on Tumblr - @bugggghead
> 
> Comments ALWAYS appreciated <3  
> Thanks for reading!


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